Well, aren't you special?

EAT BETTER - food for thought

Customizing your order usually isn't a problem, but try to be reasonable.

January 15, 2008|By Carolyn O'Neil, Cox News Service

So, you want to nix the hollandaise on the halibut; you want the salad dressing on the side; you'd like olive oil instead of butter and your green beans steamed and not sauteed?

Your waistline may thank you, but what about your waiter? Diet tips for eating out often include a hit list of ways to make special requests that require a change in the way dishes are prepared. Sometimes they're simple substitutions: "May I have my fish with lemons instead of tartar sauce?" But sometimes they're complicated.

Maybe it's time for a little dining-out detente so we can better understand what it takes to create a customized order and take a moment to listen to the waiter's side of the story.

College student Adam Waldorf works nights waiting tables at the Majestic Diner, which is often pretty packed. "When someone comes in and makes special requests, it's going to take more time. Sometimes they get mad," Waldorf says. He once had a man ask for his scrambled eggs cooked light, light, light, light . . . light.

"In fact, he said 'light' 14 times," Waldorf recounts. "And they just weren't runny enough for him until the third try, when the eggs were like a river on his plate." That may be an extreme example, but the bottom line is, you can't blame the waiter for a delay on a special order.

"Be clear as you make your order. 'No butter on my toast, please' or 'Can you bring a plate of lemons with that?' " Waldorf says.

And because food allergies can put a kitchen on high alert to avoid a potential health problem, executive chef Nick Oltarsh of the newly opened Atlanta steakhouse Room at Twelve adds some advice. "Be honest and upfront. Don't say 'I'm allergic to garlic' if you're not. If you just don't like garlic, let us know; we'll work with you."

Oltarsh says he has even received business cards from customers listing ingredients they want to avoid. "The nice thing about a steak restaurant is that everything's pretty much made to order, and we've got all portion sizes, too, from 7-ounce filets to the big 22-ounce steaks."

The best-equipped restaurants are ready to take on the special-diet challenge. Customized computer software helps. "It makes it easier and faster for our staff to quickly punch in combinations of foods for each order. With cheese, without cheese, with or without hash browns -- there are so many possible combinations," Majestic Diner owner Tasso Costarides says.